Today’s Five Finds on Friday come from Gerry Sweeney, involved in two businesses that have been busy lately. For one, he is Brand Ambassador for Eastwood Farm and Winery, which has just revamped the Virginia Wine Collective, the incubator for nine small local winemakers, which is now open Wed-Fri, serving thin-crust pizzas, appetizers, wine flights, and draught beer. Meanwhile, with his wife Susan, he co-owns Cake Bloom which recently expanded and relocated to 120 10th St. NW. Sweeney’s picks:
1) Chicken Wings with Alabama Sauce or Dry Rub at Vision BBQ. “I’ve been following Mike Blevins — and his smoked chicken wings — for years, and they’re hands down the best in town. My go-to after-work pitstop these days is Vision for a plate of wings and Bitburger, and when my wife asks what’s for dinner, I order more smoked chicken and take it home for an easy taco dinner.”
2) El Capitan at Beer Run. “Morning, noon, or night, this place checks all the boxes. Unpretentious, quality food, good people, and, of course, the beer. On weekends, the breakfast tacos plus a National Bohemian win every time. Thank you, John Woodriff.”
3) Carnitas Tacos at La Michoacana. “Edgar Gaona’s carnitas tacos at La Michoacana are the real deal — raw white onion, the perfect bit of cilantro, and no slaw nonsense. A cold Pacifico in the free hand, and I could swear I was back at my favorite taqueria in Sonoma. Same story, too. Started in a truck, earned the brick and mortar. Every bite tastes like someone who’s been chasing this exact pork shoulder his whole life.”
4) Oysters at Public Fish & Oyster. “When my wife and I are missing our old haunts on Tomales Bay, we meet for a Tuesday happy hour date. A dozen or two oysters, a couple of Narragansett tallboys, frites, and some properly charred Brussels sprouts, and we’re the happiest East Coasters in the world.”
5) Double Cheeseburger at Riverside Lunch. “The lollipop place, as my daughter Lucy calls, is exactly what a hometown burger joint should be. Double cheeseburger, fries, onion rings, a sweating Miller High Life, and a staff that treats you — and your kid — like a regular from day one. Nothing here is reinventing the wheel, and that is precisely the point.”